Implementing Music With Creative Writing Strategies For Special Education Students

The rise of brain research coupled with multiple intelligence theory has led to research examining the benefits of combining listening to music with task performance. Studies have shown the value of music with learning because of its ability to stimulate multiple parts of the brain. This study examines the effectiveness of a writing strategy in which five sixth-grade special education students are exposed to classical music selections along with one classic rock song during five-minute brainstorming sessions. After these prewriting sessions with music, the students are immediately tasked to type responses to Curriculum Based Measurement (CBM) writing prompts for three minutes using the ideas they wrote on their main idea webs during brainstorming. What evidence does the study provide for the hypothesis that listening to music will increase the amount and quality of their writing? Do they type more words? Do they spell more words? Do they enjoy listening to the music? If not, is there still evidence that music helped increase their performance?